Horizontal-grand player-piano.



N. 1). HOSLE'Y.

iiORIZONTAL GRAND PLAYER PIANO. APPLICATION FILED APR.28,1909.

' 957,421 v Patented May 10, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l,

N. D. HOSLEYl HORIZONTAL GRAND PLAYER PIANO.

APPLICATION FILED APR.28,1909,

957,421 Patented May 10, 1910.

4 sums-$113131 2.

QR) im m 1 N. D. HOSLEY.

HORIZONTAL GRA ND PLAYER PIAN O. APPLICATION FILED APR. 28, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Patented May 10, 1910.

N. -D. HOSLEY.

HORIZONTAL GRAND PLAYER PIANO.

APPLIOATIQN FILED APR. 28, 1909.

Patented May 10, 191 0.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

.M v 1Q Q/Vi'W cmco UNITED STATE S PATENT OFFICE.

-NELSON D. HOSLEY, OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSEGNOl't TO THE WILCOX dz; WHITE COMPANY, OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPGR-ATIONhQF CONNECTICUT.

HOBIZONTAL-GRAND PLAYER-PIANO.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NELSON D. HosLnY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Meriden, county of New Haven, Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Horizontal-Grand Player- Pianos, of which the following is a full,- clear, and exact description.

My invention relatesto improvements in mechanical music playing instruments and particularlyto so-called player pianos, the invention being especially adapted and constructed for pianos of the horizontal grand type.

My in. ention aims at simplifying and improving many features of mechanical construction.

Because of the design of a horizontal grand piano, it has heretofore beerbfonnd practically impossible to embody playing apparatus therewith withoutseriously affecting said design inasmuch as it has re quired the presence of. unsightly extensions, which not only materially disturb the conventional design of such instruments but also makes packing and transportation ex pensive and diiflcult. My invention not only overcomes these defects but provides a construction whereby the player mechanism may be very readily applied or removed for the purposes of repair or adjustment at any time. These and other advantages will appear from a reading of the following specification and an examination of the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, Figure 1 1s a plan view of a horiz 'ntal grand pi no partly broken away. 2 is a front el va ion of a horizontal gr nd piano, part1 broken away. Fig. 3 is a side elevation o said instrument partly broken away. Fig. 4 is a relatively enlarged view mainly'in section and showing the location of my action and the method of mounting the same.

1 re resents the case of a horizontal grand piano aving an elongated front portion by.

which I mean wider at the front than at the rear end and hevinga horizontally disposed sounding board therein.

1- a are the legs supporting the case.

2 represents the socalled lyre which carries the "usual piano pedals, and which is also provided with pumping pedals, one of which is indicated at .3. As shown, the

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 28, 1909.

Patented May 10, 1910. Serial No. 492,644.

pumping pedal 3 is mounted upon a hinged support 1 carried by the lyre 2, whereby said pedal 3 may be folded back into a small 1box-like space or housing at the foot of the yre.

5 is an exhauster bellows arranged within the case of the piano and well to the rear of the same and underneath the sounding board. The pumping pedal 3 is connected by suitable levers and links 8-910 1 1-12- with the eXhauster 5.

14: represents the front panel, which is arranged directly to the rear of the keyboard 15. I

16 represents one of the hammers by which the strings 6 are struck.

17 represents the frame of the mechanical action.

The action pneumatic mechanism may be of any suitable type and hence it need not be explained in detail herein. It should however be stated that the frame of the action is so constructed that said action, tracker mechanism, and motor are entirely contained and carried thereby, whereby, when said frameis removed, all of said parts will be bodily renioved.

18 represents the tracker carried by the action frame, the same being located directly to the rear ofa window or opening in the front panel 14;, and forward of the primary and power pneumatics. 29 represents the primary, and 30 the power, pneumatics. 14 represents a suitable closure for said opening when said mechanical action isnot to be employed.

19 conventionally represents a note sheet traversing the tracker 18 and mounted upon suitable spools 19 carried by the usual spool frame, the details of which are not necessary to describe or illustrate, it being merely necessary tov understand that the support for the spools is a unitary part of the action casing, whereby, when the casing is removed, the tracker, spools, spool frame, -etc., will be removed therewith. The motor conventionally shown at 20 for driving the spools 19 19 is also carried by the action frame 17 at one end thereof and in substantially the same horizontal plane.

-21.represents the duct leading from the exhauster 5 to the pneumatic action mechanism, the same being suitably connected with one wall of said action frame, whereby, when the latter is in place, said ductwill be pro erly connected therewith. shown, the exhanster duct 21 makes connecheld thereto by suitable screw bolts 22 at the ,ends of sa d action frame, the forward ends may be swung back at any time for. the pur pose of lacilitatmg the insertion of note end of said striker 27 being arranged in. close played by hand, by which arrangement this where the striker engages the key nearer the In the form tion with the rear wall of the action frame, as shown in F 1g. 4:, and said action frame is of which may be provided with suitable handles 22. which are easy of access from the front of the piano after the front panel is removed to enable the entire pneumatic action to be disconnected for removal or connected for use. It will be observed that all the constituent parts of the action are carried as a unitary structure.

It. is preferable to provide a hinged cover 23, which may be connected by a hinge 2%: to the action frame, said cover being located under the music desk 25, whichin turn is located under the cover 26 of the case 1. The function of the cover 28 is to protect the tracker and yet being hinged, the same sheet rolls. In removing the action, it would be preferable to first remove the cover 23 al though this is not essential.

By the above arrangement of parts, it will be seen that all the mechanism is conveniently housed without involving any unsightly projections from the conventional 12110 case. The particular location of the action is such as to afford very marked advantages. All or the parts are of easy access,- particularly the action and associated parts. The exhauster bellows can readily be removed from theunder side of the case. The only respect in which the apparatus is seen to differ from the ordinary grand piano is ll]. the provision of a lyre suitable for housing the mechanism of the pumping pedals with the linkage leading therefrom to the exhauster. As already suggested, I need not at length describe the action mechanism, since it may include any suitable construction by-Which notes may be mechanically struck so long as the said construction is susceptible of the arrangement shown herein by which the advantages set forth are attained.

2? represents one of the strikers carried by a part of the action frame 17, the striking proximity to that end of the key which. is manually engaged when the instrument is striker strikes down upon the key, and by reason of its location relatively to the key, producesfas I have found, results more nearly approximating yranual playing than balance rail, or to the rear of the balance rail and under the key. These and other advan' tages which. will be appreciated the mechanic sloled in art, all on a to the securing superior musical earner well asproviding a me ans which possesses many mechanical advantages already do It will be seen that my invention maybe applied to any ordinary grand piano case, without requiring any abnormal increasing of its thickness vertically, or without rcqum ing any box-like extension of the case on its lower side. If the frcnt panel 18 too. close to the forward edge of the plate 31, or the sounding board 32, to afi'ord room for the action and tracker mecnanism, all that is re-- ouired is to somewha; enlarge said space,- as by employing a so newhat shorter plate and sounding board.

lVhat I claim is:

i. In a horizontalgrand piano, a hori- .zontal case, sounding devices therein, hammers therefor, pivotec keys and mechanical devices for operating said hammers, said mechanical devices including key strikers and pneumatic action mechanism arranged "ntirely within the front part of the case directly to the rear of the outer ends of the keys, and arrangeil to operate said hammers item a point forward of the pivots for :id ke s, and tracker mechanism above said kers and in front of said action nil. clian ism.

2. In a combined mechanically and manually operable grand piano, a frame having an elongated front ptrtion, a horizontally disposed sounding board in said frame, and a. tracker-board and pemnnatic action mechanism mounted. entirely Within the elongated front portions of the case, said tracker mechanism being arranged forward of said action mechanism and in substantially the same horizontal plane. I

3; In a combined mechanically and manually operable grand piano, a frame having an elongated front portion, a horizontally disposed sounding board therein, sounding devices therein, keys. therefor having ex posed outer ends along the elongated front portion, combined pneumatic action mechanism, tracker board anc music roll carrying mechanism mounted entirely within the elongated front portion of the frame, said parts being removable bodily through the said front portion, said tracker board and. music roll carryingmcchanism lazing arranged in. substantially the same horiz-contal plane as, and in front of, said action mecla amsm.

4- In a combined n'ieihanically and mum ually operable grand piano, a frame having an elongated front potion, a horizmitally disposed. sounding board therein, sounding devices therein, keys therefor haying ex; posed outer ends along the elongated front portion, combined pneumatic action mechan' tracker-board, music roll carrying ,ianism and motor therefor mounted onwithin the elongated front port-ion of the frame, said parts being arranged in substantially the same horizontal plane, the tracker mechanism being in front of said action, and said motor being at one end of said tracker,

In a combined pneumatic and manually operable grand piano, a frame having an elongated front portion, a horizontally disposed sounding board in said frame,

mechanical player mechanism in front of said sounding board including pneumatic action mechanism, a tracker, spool mechanism, and motor mechanism therefor, all of said parts being in substantially the same horizontal plane, and a. frame dependently supporting and carrying all of said mechanical player parts all arranged entirely within the elongated front portion of the piano frame, with means at the ends of said frame portion of the piano frame, with means for detachably holding said frame in place, an exhauster in said piano caseunder thesounding board and to the rear of said pneumatic action mechanism, and a duct carried by the piano frame, said duct leading from said exhauster to the removable action carrying frame.

v T. In a combined pneumatic and manually operable grand piano, a frame having anelongated frontportion, a horizontally disposed sounding board in said frame, a keyboard at the elongated front end of said piano frame, a front panel at the rear of said keyboard, the keys of said keyboard extending under and to the rear of said front panel, assembled pneumatic action mechanism including strikers arranged above said keys and directly to the rear of the front panel, said strikers being arranged to engage the upper sides of said keys immediately to the rear of said panel, said pneumatic action mechanism also including power pneumatics and a tracker above the plane of the strikers but in substantially the same horizontal plane.

NELSON D. HOSLEY. W'itnesses L. A. KUHNLE, A. G. KUHNLE. 

